avrupa şampiyonlar ligi çeyrek finalinde ukrayna'nın shakhtar donetsk takımıyla eşleşen barcelona'nın teknik direktörü pep guardiola, iki takımın birbirini iyi tanıdığını söyledi.
guardiola, basına yaptığı açıklamada, ''biz onları tanıyoruz, onlar bizi tanıyor. onlarla çok zorlu maçlar oynadık. fiziksel açıdan çok güçlü, deneyimli oyunculara sahip bir takım'' dedi.
2009'da barcelona'nın uzatmada 1-0 kazandığı avrupa süper kupa maçında çok zorlandığını hatırlatan guardiola, ikinci maçı deplasmanda oynayacak olmaktan memnun olmadığını belirtti.
shakhtar donetsk genel menajeri sergei palkin ise hiçbir takımın barcelona ile eşleşmek istemediğini kaydetti ve ''herkes barcelona'nın şampiyonlar ligi'ni kazanma ihtimalinin diğer takımlara oranla daha fazla olduğunu kabul ediyor'' diye konuştu.
zubizaretta: önce shakhtar'ı düşünüyoruz
barcelona spor direktörü andoni zubizaretta da, yarı finaldeki olası real madrid eşleşmesinden önce, shakhtar donetsk ile yapacakları çeyrek final maçlarını düşürdüklerini söyledi.
zubizaretta, basına yaptığı açıklamada, barcelona ile real madrid'in yarı finale çıkmak için önlerinde shakhtar ve tottenham engeli bulunduğunu belirtti ve ''şu an real madrid'i düşünecek durumda değiliz'' diye konuştu.
without a goal in four games and playing for the "best team in the world", fc barcelona's lionel messi does nevertheless not feel under pressure ahead of the visit of fc shakhtar donetsk.
widely heralded as one of the most gifted footballers on the planet, playing for the "best [team] in the world", fc barcelona's lionel messi could be forgiven for feeling the heat.
throw in a dry spell by his exceptional standards – four games without a goal – and messi might have sensed a weight on his shoulders when he addressed the assembled media ahead of wednesday's uefa champions league quarter-final first leg against fc shakhtar donetsk. the argentina forward, striving to add to his 45 club goals this season – just two shy of ronaldo's 1996/97 record – was a model of calm, however.
"i don't think we feel under pressure at this stage," he said. "i don't know what result would be good. we want to play a good match and win. the return leg depends on tomorrow's game but the important thing is to win. we never think of drawing matches because we always play to win. the fans are always there for us, especially in the champions league, so i know they won't fail.
"i am not worried about not scoring recently. i hope i can score tomorrow to help the team and carry on scoring, but it isn't something that worries me. if i can score, fine. if not, it's ok. i'm not worried, but it would be a great record to have if i could overtake ronaldo".
convinced that the attacking verve instilled by josep guardiola ensures barça are "well liked everywhere" and equally well set to face shakhtar, messi is nevertheless not taking victory for granted. the azulgrana were, after all, beaten 3-2 at home by mircea lucescu's team in the 2008/09 group stage and were five minutes from being taken to penalties by them in the 2009 uefa super cup before pedro rodríguez struck.
"they play good football, they have great players and we have faced them several times," messi added. "it'll be a very even match as usual against shakhtar. i hope we can gain an advantage to feel more relaxed over there [in the second leg]. i know they are strong; they produce good performances like in the super cup.
"we know it'll be difficult. they have very good players, lots of brazilian players who play good football. it's a team that has a nice style. we know how to attack and we don't have a strategy. we know them, but we can't let them play."
a last-four tie between spanish giants barcelona and real madrid cf is almost certain after josep guardiola's side claimed a telling first-leg lead.
fc barcelona have one foot in the semi-finals, with real madrid cf their likely opponents, after soaring to a wonderful 5-1 victory over fc shakhtar donetsk that left the visitors ruing a hatful of first-half misses.
everyone danced to lionel messi's beat but the goals carried the signatures of andrés iniesta, daniel alves, gerard piqué, seydou keita and xavi hernández. nevertheless, mircea lucescu will know the opportunities his side wasted, plus yaroslav rakitskiy's second-half goal, meant that until xavi wrapped things up four minutes from time the tie remained tantalising.
the quarter-final first leg was absorbing from the off. the ukrainian titleholders were already beginning to move the ball with slick menace when messi flew off on a trademark dribble. amid the trail of distruction he left, iniesta seized possession and finished right-footed past andriy pyatov.
there were just two minutes on the clock yet lucescu's side play with the quick-passing verve of the spanish champions and reacted with such ferocity that they might have scored three before barça increased their advantage. four minutes after iniesta's breakthrough, willian cut in from the left and despite the improbable angle forced a brilliant save from víctor valdés.
luiz adriano then had two one-on-one chances against the overworked home goalkeeper, coming second best on both occasions, before valdés raced out to clear brilliantly from the brazilian striker as alves horribly misplaced a pass. his excellence earned him a bit of luck, too, with willian volleying just wide of valdés' vacated goal.
messi in particular hauled barcelona back into the game, tirelessly dragging shakhtar's markers this way and that until iniesta had time and space to clip a pass which intersected alves' perfectly timed sprint beyond the offside trap. he controlled on the run and prodded past pyatov.
the danger, for barcelona, was that the pitmen played with blistering pace up front and, missing carles puyol and eric abidal, sergio busquets was tested to the limit at sweeper. however, the hosts emerged after the restart back at full tilt. messi and david villa had attempts on goal before piqué, taking advantage of a well-worked xavi corner, drove home his second goal in as many games eight minutes in.
his effort took a deflection off rakitskiy but there was redemption for the shakhtar defender when he directed in darijo srna's free-kick on the hour. following immediately after the booking of iniesta, which means he misses the second leg, there was a momentary hush at the camp nou. but only a moment. within 60 seconds messi's run and glided pass allowed keita thrash into the top corner to the rapture of the home crowd.
still shakhtar responded, luiz adriano smashing a shot off valdés' right-hand post, with the ball bouncing back to the keeper. messi had a goal ruled offside before xavi rounded things off, in the process all but ending the slender ambitions of the visitors.
